Abstract
Water turbidity was monitored daily during a 63-day growth trial with juvenile Penaeus
vannamei in indoor laboratory tanks. The tanks contained a 2.5 cm layer of soil substrate
collected from 14 ponds representing five shrimp farms in Texas. A linear regression model
relating turbidity to estimated shrimp length accounted for 49-83% of the total variation in
turbidity for the 14 soil groups. For averages of daily turbidity and shrimp length over the
14 soil groups, the linear regression model yielded an r2 = 0.92. Turbidity increased with
shrimp length (75-135 mm), apparently because the elevated locomotory or feeding activity
of the larger shrimp increased the suspension of soil particles. These results suggest the
potential of using water turbidity as a tool for estimating shrimp biomass in ponds. 0 1997
Elsevier Science B.V.